The Complete PSTN Copper Shutdown Timeline: What Business Owners Need to Know in 2026

Jump to:

• What’s Actually Happening
• The Timeline: Key Dates
• Who Is Affected
• What Happens When Copper Goes Away
• Hidden Copper Lines You Might Not Know About
• Your Replacement Options
• How to Transition (Step by Step)
• Frequently Asked Questions

What’s Actually Happening

The Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) is the original phone infrastructure: copper wires running from telephone company central offices to every home and business in America. This network is expensive to maintain, increasingly difficult to repair (the technicians who know how to work on it are retiring), and the FCC has been gradually allowing carriers to sunset it.

This isn’t a sudden decision. Carriers have been shifting away from copper for over a decade. What changed is the pace. The FCC’s updated rules now allow carriers to retire copper infrastructure with relatively short notice to customers. AT&T, the largest copper network operator, announced plans to discontinue copper POTS (Plain Old Telephone Service) beginning in June 2026.

The practical effect: if your business phone lines run over copper, your carrier will eventually send you a notice saying they’re discontinuing service in your area. You’ll have 180 days to switch to an alternative, or you lose service.

The Timeline: Key Dates

October 2025: AT&T stopped accepting new orders or changes for copper-based services. If you tried to add a line, move a line, or modify your copper service after this date, the request was denied.

June 2026: AT&T begins decommissioning copper facilities in approximately 500 wire centers nationwide, about 10% of its network footprint. Affected customers receive 180-day discontinuance notices.

2026 through 2029: Remaining AT&T wire centers will be phased out in waves. The complete shutdown will take several years, but every area is on the list eventually.

Lumen (CenturyLink): Following a similar timeline. Lumen has been filing discontinuance notices in multiple states and retiring copper in markets where they’ve built fiber alternatives.

Regional carriers: Smaller local carriers have their own timelines, but the direction is universal. Nobody is investing in copper maintenance. The only question is when each market transitions.

For more background on the FCC’s role in this transition, see our earlier article on why the FCC is shutting down landline phone service.

Who Is Affected

If you’re reading this and thinking “I’m already on VoIP, this doesn’t apply to me,” you might be right. But check carefully. Many businesses that switched their main phone system to VoIP years ago still have copper lines running services they forgot about.

You’re affected if your business uses any of the following over copper lines: primary business phone lines, fax machines, alarm and security systems, elevator emergency phones, fire alarm communicators, point-of-sale credit card terminals, building access control systems, or backup analog lines for your phone system.

Hidden Copper Lines You Might Not Know About

This is the section that catches most business owners off guard. Your main phone system might be VoIP, but you could have copper lines running things you never think about.

Alarm systems: Many commercial alarm systems use a copper phone line to communicate with the monitoring center. When that copper line goes away, your alarm can’t call for help. You’ll need to upgrade to a cellular or IP-based alarm communicator.

Elevator phones: Building codes require a working phone in every elevator. These are frequently connected via copper line. When copper is retired, you need a cellular gateway or VoIP adapter for each elevator phone.

Fire alarm panels: Like security alarms, fire alarm communicators often use copper lines to reach the fire department or monitoring service. This is a safety-critical system. Plan this transition carefully and verify the replacement meets local fire code requirements.

Fax machines: Yes, many businesses still fax. Healthcare, legal, real estate, and government offices send millions of faxes annually. When copper goes away, you’ll need either a VoIP-compatible fax adapter (which can be unreliable) or an internet fax service.

Credit card terminals: Older point-of-sale terminals that dial out over phone lines will need to be replaced with IP or cellular-connected terminals.

Gate and door access systems: Buzzer systems that call a phone number to grant access often run on copper. These need cellular or IP alternatives.

What Happens When Copper Goes Away

When your carrier files a discontinuance notice for your area, the clock starts. You get 180 days. After that, the copper line is disconnected.

If you haven’t migrated by the deadline, you lose service. There is no extension. There is no grace period. The carrier has FCC authorization to shut it down, and they will.

Businesses that wait until the last minute face rushed decisions, premium pricing from providers who know you’re desperate, and potential gaps in service during the transition. Businesses that plan ahead have time to evaluate options, negotiate pricing, and schedule installation during a convenient window.

Your Replacement Options

VoIP Phone System (Recommended for Most Businesses)

Replace copper lines entirely with a Voice over Internet Protocol system. Calls travel over your broadband internet connection. You get unlimited lines, modern features (auto attendant, voicemail-to-email, mobile apps, call recording), and typically lower monthly costs than copper service.

The catch: VoIP depends on your internet connection. If the internet goes down, cloud-based VoIP goes down. On-premises VoIP systems like those Phonewire installs mitigate this by running locally on your network with cellular failover for outbound calls.

SIP Trunking (For Businesses with Existing PBX Systems)

If you have a working PBX phone system that you’re not ready to replace, SIP trunks can replace the copper lines feeding into it. The PBX stays. The copper lines get replaced with internet-delivered phone service. This is often the fastest and least disruptive option.

Fiber-Optic Phone Service

Some carriers offer voice service over fiber optic lines. This isn’t copper, so it’s not affected by the copper retirement. But availability is limited to areas where carriers have built fiber infrastructure, which skews toward urban and suburban locations.

Fixed Wireless / Cellular

In rural areas where broadband options are limited, fixed wireless or cellular-based phone service can replace copper. Quality depends heavily on cellular coverage in your area. This is typically a last resort, not a first choice.

How to Transition (Step by Step)

Step 1: Inventory every copper line. Call your phone carrier and request a complete list of all copper lines billed to your business. Include the main phone number, fax lines, alarm lines, elevator lines, and any other services. Don’t rely on memory. Get the carrier’s records.

Step 2: Categorize by urgency. Your main business phone lines are the highest priority. Alarm and elevator lines are next (compliance requirements). Fax and misc lines can be addressed last.

Step 3: Evaluate your internet connection. VoIP requires reliable broadband. If your internet is spotty, unreliable, or too slow (you need roughly 100 Kbps per simultaneous call), address that before migrating your phones.

Step 4: Choose your replacement technology. For most businesses, a VoIP phone system is the answer. For businesses that can’t tolerate downtime, an on-premises VoIP system with cellular backup provides the same reliability copper offered.

Step 5: Port your phone numbers. Your existing business phone numbers can be transferred to the new system. This process (called number porting) takes 5 to 15 business days depending on the carrier. Start early so the port completes before your copper deadline.

Step 6: Address the secondary lines. Once your main phones are on VoIP, circle back for alarm systems (cellular communicator upgrade), elevator phones (cellular gateway), fax (internet fax service or VoIP adapter), and any remaining copper services.

Phonewire handles the entire transition: we install the new VoIP system, coordinate the number porting, and cutover from copper to VoIP in a single day. If you’re facing a copper retirement deadline, we can expedite the process to keep your business connected.